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Chamber and committees

Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 18 July 2025
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Displaying 2149 contributions

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Rural Affairs and Islands Committee

Petition

Meeting date: 22 May 2024

Emma Harper

I was going to bring up the issue of the Republic of Ireland and the traceability that it has put in place. Greyhound racing is quite central and important for people in the Republic of Ireland. Down the line, I am interested in following up work on having one microchip database for the whole of the UK, because I am interested in that part of it.

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Meeting date: 21 May 2024

Emma Harper

Some retailers now sell vapes to customers who order pizzas to be delivered to them. My understanding is that their age is not verified when vapes are delivered along with the pizza that they have just ordered.

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Healthcare in Remote and Rural Areas

Meeting date: 21 May 2024

Emma Harper

Good morning, cabinet secretary. A couple of different points have come to mind while I have been listening to all the questions and responses. I am interested in issues around digital technology and innovation, and in how remote and rural areas can or cannot benefit from that.

During Covid, we saw that the use of NHS Near Me and the attend anywhere service was beneficial. How can we harness what we have learned so far from the use of digital technology in order to support remote and rural healthcare?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Meeting date: 21 May 2024

Emma Harper

Good morning to you—and I see that we also have online engagement this morning.

I declare an interest: I am a registered nurse, and I am the co-convener of the cross-party group on lung health in the Parliament.

I am interested in the data. If you are suggesting that vaping is how people quit smoking, I would comment that I know people who have been vaping for 10 years. Is there a tail-off in some of your data? My understanding is that vaping is not good for the lungs. It causes asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Nicotine is addictive—it is bad for you and it can cause hardening of the arteries. There are some issues around blood pressure increase and so on. I would be interested to hear about data on how long people vape for once they stop smoking cigarettes.

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Meeting date: 21 May 2024

Emma Harper

Good morning to you both—actually, it is almost good afternoon. Earlier you probably heard me asking John Dunne about the exclusion of the submissions of 307 respondents to the UK-wide consultation. I am interested in your thoughts on the rationale behind those exclusions. You probably heard me asking about conflicts of interests, for instance.

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Meeting date: 21 May 2024

Emma Harper

Can I ask another wee quick question? John Dunne said that he supports the introduction of a licensing scheme, but that will not go ahead under the bill. What is the problem with having such a scheme?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Meeting date: 21 May 2024

Emma Harper

The notes in front of me say that

“The UK-wide consultation on the legislation excluded 307 respondents”.

What are your thoughts on that? A conflict of interests is what comes to my mind, but what are your thoughts about the exclusion of 307 respondents?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Meeting date: 21 May 2024

Emma Harper

We hear feedback about young people vaping before they ever have a cigarette. For young people it is not about quitting smoking. We are seeing pink, blue and green Puff Candy, candyfloss flavour and all that. That seems to be direct targeting of young people so that they start taking nicotine into their lungs.

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Healthcare in Remote and Rural Areas

Meeting date: 21 May 2024

Emma Harper

With digital connectivity, the resilience of the network, cyberresilience and cybersecurity come to mind. There have been recent issues with NHS Dumfries and Galloway experiencing a cyberattack. Is that more of a challenge in remote and rural areas, or is that the same no matter which health board we are thinking about?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Healthcare in Remote and Rural Areas

Meeting date: 21 May 2024

Emma Harper

You have mentioned travel and transport. The Highlands and Islands have a travel scheme whereby patients get travel and accommodation provided for free in order to access healthcare. In other remote places such as Dumfries and Galloway, patients are means tested for travel reimbursement purposes. Is there a plan to review the Highlands and Islands travel scheme to see whether there is potential to apply it to other remote and rural areas where patients are being means tested, as I have described?